THE SPECTATOR: IMPACT FEES OR RAISED TAXES

  

The Brenham City Council is set to have a first reading today (Thursday) of an ordinance that would establish impact fees for new development.  These would be new fees that are charged to developers or builders in order to pay for capital improvements or facility expansions necessary for new development.  In my opinion, impact fees should have been implemented years ago before the large residential subdivisions and commercial shopping centers were built.  Because of all of this growth, which is not a bad thing, the City of Brenham now must spend almost $70 million over the next ten years for improvements and expansion of its water and wastewater facilities.  It’s too late to impose impact fees on the developments that have already been built.  But you have to start sometime, or the City will be forced to drastically raise water and sewer costs for all of its current customers.  It only makes sense to have developers help pay for infrastructure expansion, or every current Brenham resident and business is going to suffer.  Impact fees are how many Texas cities pay for expanding their infrastructure.  Those against the fees say that this will hinder Brenham’s future growth, as developers will choose other cities to build in.  Personally, I don’t see anything stopping Brenham’s growth, as we are in a prime location on the corridor between Houston and Austin.  People from the big cities continue to relocate here.  So, Brenham City Council, you have my support for establishing impact fees.  As a good friend of mine says, “The best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago.  The next best time is now.”  Let’s plant some trees.

And that’s the way it looks to this Spectator.